Improvement in rotary steam-engines



' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARISONT. BRIGGS, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROTARY STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,362, dated.June 27,Ali.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARIsoN T'. Baisers, of South Bend, in the countyot' St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Rotary `Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

It is well known that the principle of the rotary engine, or thecontinuous forward motion of the same, has advantages over thereciproeating strokeof the piston-engine; but in practice the frictionand wear ot' a rotary engine render frequent repairs necessary toprevent leakage of steam and other difliculties.

The object of my invention is to simplify the construction of rotaryengines and make them more durable and more easily repaired when valvesor slides are employed in the wheel orrevolving center ot' the engine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is aside view of the interior ofthe engine, the

cylinder-head being removed from the nearer side, so as to show theslides or valves. Fig. 2 is a view of the inside of the cylinder-headremoved from the engine. Fig. 3 is a detached view of the slide orvalve.

1n the construction of my improved engine a strong cylindrical box orsteam-cylinder is made in the ordinary manner. is shown at A, Fig. l. Itis usually cast separately from the two end pieces or cylinderheads Band O, and the three parts put together after being nished up. On oneside of the cylinder A is litted an adjustable partition, D, to be movedby set-screws E and F. The cylinder-heads are provided with eccentricgrooves (one ot' which is seen at e, Fig. 2) for directing the valves,as will be hereinafter explained. The wheel or revolving center of theengine is shown at G, Fig. 1. This is cast with axles extending throughthe cylinderheads. The end of the axle is shown at H, Fig. 1. The wheelor revolving center is provided with two slides or valves, I K, Fig. 1.Projections upon these valves (see t', Fig. 3) lit into eccentricgrooves e in the cylinder-heads. By this means the valves are opened andclosed This cylinder as they are rotated. It will be seen by Fig. 2 thatthis eccentric groove e is of the proper form or curve to push back thevalves so that they will pass the partition D.

The steam is admitted to the engine through one ofthe pipes L and M, andescapes through one of the exhaust-pipes N and O, and the engine can berotated in either direction, according to the admission of the steam onthe right or the left hand. All of these pipes are inserted into thecircumference oi' the steam-cylinder.

The eccentric grooves for directing the valves may be made lower than isrepresented in the drawings, so as to be completely covered by therevolving center in order to prevent the leakage of steam.

The operation is as follows: In case the stop- Y cocks L and O `are shutand the stop-cocks M and N are open, the steam will enter the cylinderfrom the pipe M, as indicated by the arrow, and pressure is applied uponthe side of the slide or valve K, thus rotating the central wheel, Gr.As the valve K turns round with the central wheel and passes the end ofthe pipe N` the steam escapes in the direction of the arrow. Before thevalve K thus reaches the exhaust-pipe N the. opposite valve, I, willhave rotated far enough to impinge upon the side of the cylinder andthus become closed, so that the pressure or full head of steam iscontinually acting upon the engine.

By closing the valves M and N and opening the valves L and Ol the enginewill be reversed.

The partition D is made adjustable bymeans of two set-screws, E and F.The eccentric groove c directs the valves past this partition.

I do not broadly claim a rotary engine provided with the means forreversiu g its motion; but l What I do claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is j The arrangement of the ingress and egress pipes L MN O with reference to the arrangement ot' the valves I K and the adjnstable partition D and central wheel, G, substantially as herein setforth.

HARISON T. BRIGGS.

